August 09, 2012

Big Brother Arrives

It looks like something out of a movie, but it's all too real, and likely soon to move into a city near you. It's Big Brother, going by the moniker of the domain awareness system, and it's been rolled out in New York City - presumably so that Nanny Bloomberg can go after those who are still drinking Big Gulps or bottle-feeding babies. Tied to some 3,000 cameras and a number of databases, it can read license plates, track cars, and much, much more. And as drone surveillance becomes widespread, expect those sensors to be added into the mix.

If a suspicious package is left at a location by a terrorist the NYPD will now be able to instantly tap into video feeds to look back in time to see who left it there.

Washington (CNN) -- A federal review cites poor judgment by a security guard who found a bag outside a government building in Detroit last year and stashed it under a desk where it remained for weeks -- with neither the guard nor anyone else in the building aware that it contained a bomb.

Their handling of the situation also seems like something out of a movie - an especially bad one:

During that time, at least two employees X-rayed it in an unsuccessful attempt to determine its contents. One guard shook it in another failed attempt to learn more, and a federal inspector conducted four routine checks of the guard post without discovering that the bag contained an explosive device, according to the report by the inspector general, an independent watchdog.

Fear not, Ma'am; we're trained professionals. If you shake it like a Christmas present, you can sometimes determine what's inside.

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Big Brother Arrives

It looks like something out of a movie, but it's all too real, and likely soon to move into a city near you. It's Big Brother, going by the moniker of the domain awareness system, and it's been rolled out in New York City - presumably so that Nanny Bloomberg can go after those who are still drinking Big Gulps or bottle-feeding babies. Tied to some 3,000 cameras and a number of databases, it can read license plates, track cars, and much, much more. And as drone surveillance becomes widespread, expect those sensors to be added into the mix.

If a suspicious package is left at a location by a terrorist the NYPD will now be able to instantly tap into video feeds to look back in time to see who left it there.

Washington (CNN) -- A federal review cites poor judgment by a security guard who found a bag outside a government building in Detroit last year and stashed it under a desk where it remained for weeks -- with neither the guard nor anyone else in the building aware that it contained a bomb.

Their handling of the situation also seems like something out of a movie - an especially bad one:

During that time, at least two employees X-rayed it in an unsuccessful attempt to determine its contents. One guard shook it in another failed attempt to learn more, and a federal inspector conducted four routine checks of the guard post without discovering that the bag contained an explosive device, according to the report by the inspector general, an independent watchdog.

Fear not, Ma'am; we're trained professionals. If you shake it like a Christmas present, you can sometimes determine what's inside.

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